THE NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGY OF THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND AND THE POLITICAL CHARACTER OF THE EXECUTIVE POWER IN POLAND

Abstract

The National Security Strategy of the Republic of Poland (NSS) is the basic document defining the issue of Poland's security. It is a declaration of the state directed externally as well as internally in the area of the country's position towards the ever-changing security environment. Its content indicates the areas of interest and activity of the state. This document is drafted by experts but approved by political actors. Each Prime Minister also defines the basic directions of security policy in his or her exposé. The aim of this article is to find an answer to the question of whether there is a link between the political programme of the ruling party and the content and directions of activities indicated in the document National Security Strategy of the Republic of Poland. Are the successive National Security Strategies adopted a reaction to the changing security environment of the country or are they rather dominated by changing government coalitions and their political programmes. In practical, applied terms, the aim is to indicate ways of formulating and linking the country's security strategy with policy directions, especially in a situation where the state does not belong to any organisation within which it can participate in real collective defence. This was the situation Poland found itself in before joining NATO. The study used the comparative method in comparing individual documents of the National Security Strategy and the policy programmes of successive governments expressed in the prime ministers' expositions. It was assumed as a hypothesis that the main goals and values expressed in the NSS coincide with the political appeal of the ruling Parties (coalitions).